This capstone course serves as a companion to EDUC 5990 Master’s Thesis and provides students the opportunity to review their work in the program, prepare for their public presentation of their thesis, and extend their professional development by
exploring ways of promoting their action research projects through publication and oral presentations and their candidacy for positions and grant funding through career-based documents (cover letters, resumes, grant proposals). During
weekly meetings, students will hear from various faculty members in the program and engage in activities to prepare them for post-program professional engagement.
Prerequisite(s): EDUC 5230 The Psychology of Teaching and Learning and EDUC 5240 Classroom Assessment and Instructional Decisions or approval of the M.Ed. program director.
EDUC 5990 Master’s Thesis (4 hours)
This course is the companion to EDUC 5980 Professional Development Capstone Seminar and provides students the opportunity to write and complete their master’s thesis. The thesis will be based on the action research data collected and analyzed during previous classes.
Prerequisite(s): EDUC 5230 The Psychology of Teaching and Learning and EDUC 5240 Classroom Assessment and Instructional Decisions or the approval of the M.Ed. program director.
EDUC 5230 The Psychology of Teaching and Learning (3 hours)
During this course, we will discuss these psychological principles and theories, focusing on how the principles/theories could be used to help teachers help students reach their learning goals. The course will end with a final project. Students will choose several psychological principles and design a presentation that communicates how and why they will use these principles in their classrooms.
Prerequisite(s): EDUC 5130 Becoming a Reflective Practitioner and EDUC 5140 Instructional Practice and Curriculum Design or the approval of the M.Ed. program director.
EDUC 5240 Classroom Assessment and Instructional Decisions (3 hours)
This course examines assessment principles related to classroom assessments. Large-scale, classroom, and norm-referenced assessments will be addressed. Discussion topics include assessment development, measurement goals, formative and summative processes, feedback and feedback use, and the relationship between assessment and “rigor.” Students (teachers) will learn how classroom assessment practices relate to the goals they have for their students, and how assessments relate to and influence other important learning factors (such as motivation, grading, goal-setting, curriculum development, lesson planning, and communication with parents). For their final project, students will design a classroom assessment and grading system they plan on implementing in a future classroom.
Prerequisite(s): EDUC 5130 Becoming a Reflective Practitioner and EDUC 5140 Instructional Practice and Curriculum Design or approval of the M.Ed. program director.
